The present invention relates to prime movers, and more particularly, to prime movers which utilize water movement.
Daily, millions of gallons of water flow through the inland waterways of the United States. It has been estimated that this flow is equivalent to many millions of horsepower, which would require several million gallons of oil to produce. Therefore, the water flow through the streams and rivers of the United States represents a vast source of power, which is, and has been, virtually untapped.
The most recognizable of the prime movers which convert water flow into energy are those prime movers located adjacent high dams and/or natural waterfalls. These prime movers have proven to be quite efficient, thus showing the potential of water flow as a power source. However, prime movers associated with waterfalls and high dams require that those prime movers either be at remote locations with respect to the users of the power generated, or that the natural flow, or runoff, of the water be interrupted to a significant degree. Thus, high dams require that the flow of water in a waterway be stopped to a point where thousands of acres of land become flooded, which represents a significant interruption of the natural water flow. The natural lakes created while often scenic and somewhat useful in themselves, occupy land which might be put to other useful purposes such as farming, or the like.
Because of this flooding, streams or rivers near large population centers cannot be dammed. Thus, like those using waterfalls, the prime movers associated with high dams must be located far from locations whereat the power generated is to be used. Thus, like that generated at waterfalls, the power generated by high dams must be sent over long distances to users of that power. The cost, losses and difficulties attendant such long-distance power transportation are all well known. Furthermore, high dams require that the waterway be closed (near the dam at least) to vehicular traffic. Therefore, full utilization of the power available from the runoff of the waterways of the United States requires that the flow thereof be relatively unimpeded so that the waterways near the users can be fully utilized.
Most known prime movers using turbines over which water flows to convert water movement into power are generally unitary and are constructed in situ. That is, they are formed of a single wall, or the like. Thus, each device must be made especially for the particular location where it is to be used. This customizing represents a costly process which essentially eliminates any possibility of mass producing the devices or the component parts thereof. Being unitary, failure of some component part, for example the turbine, may result in complete shutdown of the entire device.
For these reasons, the power source resulting from the utilization of flow in many, if not most, of the waterways of the United States remains unused, and hence wasted. Furthermore, because of their paucity, the size of the prime movers at high dams and waterfalls are so large that only large rivers are considsred appropriate sources of flow energy. Thus, flow energy in small streams and rivers in the United States remains an untapped power source. As above-discussed, if the flow in the small waterways can be fully utilized, a vast source of power becomes available.
Known prime movers which utilize the flow of water in a waterway, aside from the waterfalls, either interrupt the flow of vehicular traffic on the waterway, or do not make efficient use of the flow in the waterway. Thus, for example, one known device utilizes a plurality of compartments into which water is flooded and from which the water is controllably released onto a turbine wheel to turn that wheel. The power generated by the turbine is then utilized in the usual manner. The device, however, requires that many thousands of acres of land be flooded and thus significantly interrupts the flow of water in a waterway. Furthermore, the waterway is closed as a shipping route. Thus, the device suffers from the drawbacks discussed above with reference to high dams.
Other known devices locate water wheels above the surface of a waterway, and the flow of water beneath the water wheel turns that wheel to drive a turbine-generator assembly. These devices make inefficient use of water flow and thus do not produce enough power to find wide application.
Thus, known devices either do not make enough use of water flow to produce great quantities of power, interrupt flow and vehicular routes significantly, or must be placed at locations which are inconvenient to the use of the power thus generated. Furthermore, known device are generally unitary and hence cannot use parts which have been mass produced and cannot be easily removed once installed.
The device of the present invention comprises a plurality of slidably engaged modules each forming a low dam so that the device can be easily assembled and disassembled and can be located beneath the surface of water in a waterway. The water therefore undergoes an elevational change in the flow direction and the energy associated with the elevational change is added to that energy associated with water flow to efficiently produce power from movement of water in a waterway without significantly disrupting or altering the flow of that water.